Devil in Texas (Rugged and Risque 1)

No more tequila for you, girlfriend. Ever.

She headed into the small bathroom, stripped down and stepped under the hot spray of water.

A soft sigh escaped her lips. The shower was exactly what she needed. Well, not exactly, but close enough for the moment. What she really needed was the sexy cowboy’s hands on her body. Jack Wade had sparked the kind of lust and longing that was all-consuming. It helped to take her mind off her bizarre impulse to move halfway across the country on a moment’s notice.

Thoughts of Jack also helped her to take another step away from her life with Peter. It truly was a shame that she’d wasted so much time on someone who had never, not even from their very first meeting, made her this hot and bothered. This in need of his touch and his too-amazing-for-words orgasms.

As she ran her soapy hands over her breasts, she thought of how wonderful it had felt to be in Jack’s arms, his hard cock pressing against her belly, his mouth devouring hers. She closed her eyes as she rolled her tight nipples between her thumbs and fingers, imagining it was Jack’s hands that pleasured her. Excitement skittered through her, making her clit tingle. But before she went so far as to slide a hand to her wet pussy and get herself off, she stopped.

Liza didn’t want self-gratification. She wanted Jack Wade.

The thought made her smile. Only Jack would do. And maybe today would be the day he gave her exactly what she needed.

Emerging from the shower a good ten minutes later, she wrapped a plush towel around her dripping body and swiped at the steam covering the fancy mirror hanging above the vanity.

Her little rental was as posh as a five-star hotel. The only downside so far was the incessant chirping outside, which had begun to grate on her nerves. Along with the leaky faucet.

Once she’d dressed in a pair of loose black pants and a white lace tank top, she dragged a brush through her hair and left it wavy and voluminous. Another blatant F-you to Peter who always “preferred” she wear it straight and sleek, or pulled back. While she applied a little makeup and lip gloss, the birds kept up their chatter. They were joined by friends.

Liza crossed the bathroom to the window, unhooked the latch and tried to lift the window frame. It wouldn’t budge. She tried again, wanting to stick her head out the window and yell at the birds to shut the hell up, if for no other reason than snapping at them would make her feel better.

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No such luck. As she fought with the white-washed wooden frame, what she believed to be the doorbell rang. Abandoning her mission to throw something at the birds to get them to move to another tree—far away from her windows—she passed through the kitchen and living room. She unlocked the door, the anticipation of seeing Jack making her hurry. She pulled the front door open and lost her breath.

Liza smiled without even thinking about it. Jack’s eyes lit up with something akin to excitement as his gaze swept over her. She stepped aside and said, with an embarrassing amount of enthusiasm, “Come on in!”

Today, Jack wore a dark blue T-shirt tucked into his faded Levi’s. Dusty, tan suede boots completed the ensemble. His dark hair was mussed, as though he hadn’t put much effort into it, which made it sexy as hell. All in all, she found him to be even more appealing than last night. Possibly because she knew him this morning and liked the person beneath the gorgeous veneer.

“Breakfast,” he said with that easy grin as he lifted the bag in his hand. “I brought a Texas favorite.” He walked past her, heading into the kitchen.

“Looks like you’ve got coffee too. That makes you my hero.”

He set the paper bag and thermos on the counter and asked, “How do you like the place?”

“What’s not to like? It even comes with room service.”

He grinned. “How’d you sleep?”

“Curled up like a kitten and out like a light.” She seriously hadn’t had a better night’s sleep in longer than she could remember.

“Good. So the rental agreement stands as is?”

A slow smile spread across her lips as realization dawned. He’d known where she lived last night without having to ask. A fact that had escaped her until now. “You’re my landlord, aren’t you?”

“Guilty as charged,” he said with a wink. “I would’ve told you last night, but you seemed to be enjoying the mystery you were weaving. I liked it too, by the way.”

His sexy grin made her hot and bothered all over again. As though the reprieve from his sizzling kisses and erotic touch never existed. It was difficult to ignore the thrumming in her pussy, the way her inner walls clenched in anticipation of feeling his cock deep inside her. She was ready to skip breakfast altogether and jump straight to the hot and sweaty sex. Was this close to saying to hell with the good girl she hadn’t been able to fully leave behind last night.

Unfortunately, she’d more than proven she was out of her element when it came to seducing the Devil. So instead, she kept to the subject at hand.

“I have several complaints to discuss with you, Mr. Landlord.”

A dark eyebrow lifted. “So soon?”

“Mm-hmm. The faucet in the bathroom leaks, the window is sealed shut and there’s a flock of birds nesting outside that need to be…removed. Or shot. I don’t care which.”

Jack laughed. “I’m not shooting the birds, darlin’. But I’ll see what I can do about the window and the faucet.”